And one for Darcy... I am going to be traveling this week so I probably won't have a chance to post this week at all. I love to hear your thoughts and reactions. I like having a nicer Darcy but he is going to become a little more self absorbed pretty soon. And Lizzy is now going to be forced to depend on others. Keep sending me your comments. I love them :)

Fitzwilliam Darcy was early as always. His father had taught him when he was very young, "To be on time is to be 15 minutes early." The lesson had stuck and here he was, at his aunt and uncle Fitzwilliam's home, at 6:45. The Fitzwilliam home was a brisk walk from the MGH/Charles T-stop. It was a beautiful brick and stone brownstone that his great, great grandfather had constructed in 1828. Directly across from the public garden he stood and paused. He had spent some wonderful afternoons when Georgie was little, walking from his aunt and uncle's over to the swan boats in the summer or ice skating on the frog pond in the Common in the winter. Shaking himself, he turned and rang the bell. Might as well find out what is awaiting me. The door was promptly answered and he was shown into his uncle's study where both his aunt and uncle seemed to be engaged in an active discussion.

"Aunt Sophia, Uncle Henry, thank you for inviting me for dinner." Fitzwilliam spoke with proper deference.

His aunt and uncle immediately stepped apart. His aunt was obviously still irritated about something but his uncle's face quickly transformed into a broad smile. Years of politics had trained him and William could sense he was getting the full effect.

"William, it is wonderful to see you! How is your final year going? I am sure you are excited for life to start at last. I remember my last months as HLS. I couldn't wait for the real world to start." Henry Fitzwilliam's voice boomed as he walked towards he nephew.

Sophia Fitzwilliam walked over to William, gave him a light kiss on the cheek, looked into his eyes and sighed. She had been a second mother to the Darcy children since their own mother had passed when he was in high school. Something was clearly troubling her. "It is good to see you William. I am going to check on dinner. Sit here with your uncle while I get an estimate on when dinner will be ready." With that said, his Aunt Sophia turned to leave the room, shooting a final glare in the direction of his uncle.

Whatever message was sent by his aunt, was clearly received by his uncle. Henry then turned to William. "What are you drinking these days? Are you sticking to D'Arcy wines or are you willing to share a whiskey with your uncle?"

"Whatever you are drinking uncle, works for me," Fitzwilliam offered. He took the proffered drink and sat down across the desk from his uncle. "So how are things down in DC?" he asked.

"Oh, same old, same old. It is getting harder and harder to get anything done and we really need to tackle the budget and immigration but no one wants to work on anything controversial. All the Republicans are still focused on healthcare. It's so frustrating. It passed, lets move on!" Senator Fitzwilliam complained.

His uncle had clearly wanted to speak with him about something important, and it wasn't the US budget or healthcare. Fitzwilliam, despite having grown up in a political family wasn't the least bit interested in politics, and only expressed an opinion when forced to defend his family in some way or another. In general, he avoided these conversations if at all possible. Will was anxious to figure out what the intrigue was. After speaking with Richard yesterday he knew his Aunt Catherine was up to something, it had to do with his father's will and some new obligation he needed to take care of. The secrecy of it all was maddening.

"So you wanted to speak with me, Uncle Henry," Fitzwilliam started.

"Oh, lets enjoy a little dinner before we discuss business. I am not sure our conversation will aid digestion," his uncle demurred.

With this brusque dismissal of the elephant in the room, they each took a sip of their whiskey and sat down waiting for dinner to be called. They discussed mundane topics, the upcoming holidays, Georgiana's adjustment to her new school, and the like. As usual, the topic of Will's love life arose but, as there was never anything happening in his love life, that topic was quickly covered. Fitzwilliam was happy to see his uncle and aunt. They had been a wonderful support the past few years and he had truly appreciated being able to rely on them, especially with Georgie. It was also nice to talk about things other than cases or Pemberley Enterprises.

Dinner was relaxing indeed. His Aunt Sophia had a talent for engaging her guests and she shared a number of amusing anecdotes about her latest forays into prying funds away from her friends to fund her favorite social campaigns. She was a master at getting others to join her in her battles against the complex issues impacting children's poverty. It was no small wonder how she convinced her husband to champion many of these same issues on the Senate floor listening to her impassioned conversation at the dinner table. She reminded him of someone, Elizabeth. He could see the two of them getting along famously. They shared a common fire. Why was he thinking of her of all people? Yes, she had made quite an impression on him but really she was just a college student. Well, she was so very different from the other Harvard undergrads he had known. They were all smart and hard working and Lizzy was the same in these regards but there was something else. Nothing had been handed to her in this life and she truly appreciated all she had. But she didn't have a chip on her shoulder. She never acted like she had something to prove. She was accomplished but was also unbelievably kind and caring to those around her. She had a smile for everyone whether they were the maid, a professor or a fellow student. And she was always quick to find humor in the littlest things, even her challenges. You just couldn't help feeling good and optimistic when you were around her, even when she was challenging you.

"William, are you still with us? We seem to have lost you there. What were you thinking about?" Sophia Fitzwilliam teased.

"I am sorry I wasn't attending aunt." William blushed at being caught thinking about her.

"Oh, no worries. Whatever you were thinking about seemed pleasant. I can't remember the last time I saw a smile cross your face like that. Do you want to share?" Sophia asked.

"Oh, it was nothing, nothing worth mentioning." He responded.

"Ok then. If you say so. Would you like some coffee or tea with dessert? I thought we could go sit in the family room and have dessert where we can talk and be a little more comfortable." Aunt Sophia asked.

"Coffee would be perfect. And a slice of your apple pie. I know you have it back there in the kitchen because you know it is my all time favorite," William grinned. He then took a deep breath and then turned to his uncle, "I admit, I am anxious about whatever new issue there is with my father's will. I combed through it again Wednesday night and believe I have fulfilled, or will have fulfilled every requirement to the letter."

"Let's head over to the family room and we can get that pie and coffee. Sophia dear, will you meet us in there?" Uncle Henry asked.

"Yes dear, and don't start without me," she insisted.

Settling down by the fireplace, William took a chair across from the loveseat his aunt and uncle always occupied. The room was warm and inviting. A mix of creams, browns and golds gave the entire room a calming effect. The Persian rug beneath their feet, shared these colors with the occasional slate blue highlight to add a touch of color offsetting the overall muted effect and drawing in the blues found in several paintings around the room. The paintings, had been in the family for generations, and captured scenic vistas from England where the Fitzwilliam family had originated hundreds of years ago.

His aunt came into the room, followed by their housekeeper, each with a tray containing dessert plates and coffee service for three. Setting them down on the table between them, his aunt joined his uncle on the loveseat and began pouring out the coffee. The housekeeper quickly left the room, closing the door behind her as she left.

"William, as you mentioned earlier, an issue has arisen related to your father's will and we wanted to discuss it with you prior to Thanksgiving and an upcoming meeting you will need to have with the estate attorney later this month. To be honest, we only became aware of this new condition about a week ago when my sister Catherine said something to me as we planned out the holidays. Apparently, she has been aware of this clause since before your father's passing but had kept quiet until now." Henry paused, taking his wife's hand and a deep breath before continuing.

"The condition, is not related to your inheritance, but rather has to do with Georgiana, her custody, and her inheritance." With this statement, he had William's full attention. "Your father was apparently concerned about your ability to juggle all of the responsibilities of taking on Pemberley corporation will parenting a teenager. We all know how hard you have worked, and your aunt and I have done everything we could to support you these past five years. But it will be a big change when you take full control of Pemberley and its global operations. It is hard to get into what he was thinking but I can only imagine that \your father was thinking of you and was persuaded, somehow by my sister, to add this codicil. The addition, in effect, transfers custody of Georgiana to Catherine, if you are not married by the time of your graduation or by your 28th birthday, whichever comes second. Moreover, it transfers oversight of Georgiana's fortune until her 21st birthday to Catherine," Henry informed him, clearly having difficulty looking him in the eyes as he delivered this last piece of information.

William was stunned. What was his father thinking? How could he take Georgie away from him? Of course, Pemberley was important but never more important than his only remaining immediate family. Why would he father think he wouldn't make time for her? He was angry. He had worked so very hard to live up to every expectation and requirement his father had placed before him and what was his reward? To take away his baby sister!

While he was processing this stunning information, he aunt had moved to the chair next to him. She took his hand, squeezed it and said, "William, to be honest, I still have trouble believing that George Darcy would do something this stupid and thoughtless, but he did, and we need to work with it. Your uncle and I have had the codicil reviewed by two attorneys and it seemes there is nothing that can be done about it. I don't believe your father meant any harm by this. Honestly, I think he was trying to help you, knowing how much you would want to prove yourself in the early years of taking over the company and was, in his way, trying to provide support."

"I can't believe he is doing this to me, to both Georgie and me. I love her more than anything else in this world. She is always my first priority. She is all I have left of my parents. To entrust her to Aunt Catherine, well I know I shouldn't speak ill of one of my elders, but seriously, Georgie is afraid of her! And that woman has lost most of her own fortune. To entrust her inheritance to her, what could he have been thinking!" William shouted.

"William, we are not going anywhere. We will make sure that all is well. And so will you." Henry said trying to be reassuring.

William slumped in his chair. What could he do? He didn't know anyone he wanted to marry. But he had to find a solution, because he was not giving up Georgie. They had been through so much together, and he didn't trust his Aunt Catherine.

Aunt Sophia commented, "Well, I now have a better understanding of why she was always downplaying any attempt to get you to date. She wanted to make sure that you wouldn't marry." Sophia Fitzwilliam had never liked her sister-in-law and this simply reinforced her prior impressions.

William stood up. He needed to think. He turned to his aunt and uncle. "I am sorry, but I need to be alone. Can you send me a copy of the codicil so I can read it myself. I think I need to see the words to really believe this is happening. Maybe I can share it with one of my professors to see if I can challenge this in anyway."

"Of course, I will have our family attorneys' direct a copy over to you on Monday as soon as they open. William, this will be ok. Go home and get a good night sleep and we can speak tomorrow." His uncle said, trying to be reassuring.

He placed a kiss on his aunt's cheek, shook his uncle's hand and walked to the front door. Shrugging on his coat, William walked into the cool night air. He turned toward Charles Street and slowly walked towards the red line, his mind still trying to process the information he had just received.

He barely noticed the train arriving and walked into the car, dropping down into an empty seat. Lost in his thoughts he decided there was little he could do tonight and took out his phone, deciding to check his emails. As he did so, he looked up and noticed a young woman sitting across from him. Her face was turned away, but she reminded him so very much of Elizabeth. He was just trying to figure out if it was in fact her, when she turned her head and looked over at him. Tears streaked her face and her beautiful brown eyes were swollen and red. She had clearly been crying for some time. She quickly hid her face, but it was too late. He jumped up and sat down next to her.

"Lizzy, whatever is the matter? Are you hurt? Can I help you?